Blooming Onion (Allrecipes)

We have TONS of onions right now.  Luckily Spence was craving one so we found this recipe for a blooming onion.  It was super easy and yummy!  We didn't have the ingredients for the sauce so we just mixed miracle whip and ketchup for a good fry sauce, but I wanted to include it so we can try it the next time.

Ingredients   1 egg
   1 cup milk
   1 cup all-purpose flour
   1 1/2 teaspoons salt
   1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
   1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
   1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
   1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (didn't have)
   1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
   1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
   1 large onion
   2 quarts vegetable oil for deep-frying

Beat egg and combine it with milk in a bowl large enough to hold the onion. In another bowl, combine flour and all of the spices.  

Prepare the onion: cut approximately 3/4 to 1 inch off of the top and bottom of the onion, remove skin. Remove the 1-inch diameter core from the middle of the onion. Using a large, sharp knife, slice down the center of the onion about 3/4 of the way down, turn 90 degrees and slice again. Keep slicing the sections in half, being careful not to cut to the bottom, until you have 16 sections. Spread the petals apart to make coating easier.  Then put the onion in an ice-water bath for an hour and the petals should spread even better.  We only did it for about 30 min.

Dip the onion in the milk, then coat well with the flour mixture. Separate the petals again and sprinkle the flour mixture between them. Once you have coated all of the petals well, dip it into the milk and into the flour mixture again. Place in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes while you preheat the oil.
Pour enough oil to cover the onion into a deep fryer or deep pot. Preheat the oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry the onion right side up in the oil for 10 minutes or until golden brown. We only waited for it to be golden brown since we weren't sure of the temp. of our deep fryer.  Remove from oil and let drain in a rack or paper towels. Open the center of the onion wide so that you can put the small bowl of dipping sauce in the center.




Dipping Sauce Ingredients 
   1/2 cup mayonnaise
   3/4 tablespoon ketchup
   2 tablespoons cream-style horseradish sauce
   1/4 teaspoon paprika
   1/4 teaspoon salt
   1 pinch ground black pepper
   1 pinch cayenne pepper  

Make the dipping sauce: Combine mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 dash black pepper, and 1 dash cayenne pepper in a small bowl and refrigerate it until needed.

Mango Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (Epicurious)

Can I just say mmmmm!  When we got the tropical pack from Bountiful Baskets it had vanilla beans.  I was so excited to make homemade ice cream with real vanilla beans.  This recipe was deliciously rich.  I didn't have cream so I used evaporated milk and it was still so rich that the added mango was needed to offset it.  To add the mango we cut it up and separated the pieces out on a plate.  Just put it in the freezer for a bit and add to the ice cream just before it's done.

 

Ingredients

3 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 vanilla beans, split in half lengthwise
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 egg yolks

Combine the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla beans, and extract in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until hot but not boiling, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Carefully remove vanilla beans and scrape the softened seeds from the pods back into the saucepan; discard pods.  Place yolks in a bowl and whisk constantly, slowly pouring in 1 cup of the hot-milk mixture. Continue to whisk until smooth.  Slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan, whisking constantly until well combined. Place saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (6 to 8 minutes); it should never boil. Strain mixture into a bowl. Cool to room temperature, then freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

The Joneses' German Pancakes (Bruce Jackson)

One of my all time favorite recipes is my dad's German pancakes. The best part is you can use the same recipe for crepes too.  

Ingredients
      6 eggs
      1 c. milk
      1 c. flour
      1/2 c. sugar
      1 t. vanilla
      1/2 t. salt
      1 cube butter

Melt butter in an 11x13 in. pan in the oven at 400 degrees.  Put the eggs into blender and blend until bubbly.  Add remaining ingredients and blend until light and bubbly.  Remove the melted butter from oven and pour the egg mixture into pan on top of butter.  Bake in the oven for 10-15 min.  Cut into squares and serve with powdered sugar, syrup, or jam.  For crepes: No butter and decrease ingredients' amounts.

Rainbow Jello (Whitney Heap)

Such a fun Jello!  Tastes delicious and looks great too.  I was surprised at how easy this really was.  I found one alternate to spooning the mixture on since I'm so impatient, was to pour the next layer against the side of the pan so it hit the slightly solidified jello a bit softer and didn't tear it up. 

Ingredients

      Small boxes of Jello in this order:

      Berry blue

      Lime

      Lemon

      Orange

      Strawberry

      2 c sour cream (1½ lb)

      Cool whip

Combine one box of Jello with 1¼ cups boiling water. Divide this mixture in half. To the first half, add 1/3 cup sour cream and stir until smooth. Use wire whisk to add sour cream. Don't make it too foamy. Pour into a 9x13 pan and pop any bubbles before putting it into the fridge. Refrigerate ½ hour. To the second half of the mixture, add 3 Tbsp of cold water. Carefully spoon onto first layer. Chill ½ hour. Repeat 10 times. Top with cool whip. Be careful as you pour on each layer. (See how my yellow Jello-sour cream layer sunk a little into the plain yellow layer?) Make sure your fridge is level or make it level under the dish using paper. Use a level for best results.

Corned Beef and Cabbage (Judy from Recipe Club)

Don't disregard this recipe simply because you don't think you like corned beef.  I made this for a St. Patrick's Day dinner for my side of the family.  Many of them were skeptical about a corned beef and cabbage dinner, but it won them over.  The glaze was especially delicious!

Ingredients

corned beef brisket
baby carrots
new potatoes (can use regular potatoes)
onion

Cover corned beef with water. Bring to a boil and then turn to low for 50 min. per lb. Add baby carrots, new potatoes, and chopped onions. Add potatoes, carrots, and onions for the last hour with beef. Add cabbage chopped in blocks for the last 10 min (can secure with toothpicks so it doesn't fall apart if wanted). Make glaze right before serving so its nice and warm. Pour over corn beef and vegetables for a yummy meal.

Glaze:

1 cube butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup hot or spicy mustard

2 T. vinegar

Bring to boil and then turn off while stirring frequently

Irish Soda Bread (European Cuisine)

This was such an easy, delicious bread to make.  It's a traditional Irish soda bread that is commonly eaten in Ireland.  In the midst of trying new dishes, my side of the family loved this bread.  It only takes about 5 min. to make before it goes in the oven.
Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups flour (either cake flour or all-purpose)
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional: you can absolutely omit this if you prefer sugar free soda bread)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Between 8-10 fluid ounces buttermilk, sour / soured milk, or plain ("sweet") milk, to mix

You can artificially sour some plain milk by adding a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 2 cups of milk and waiting 15 minutes or so for it to sour.  Mix the dry ingredients together.  Make a well and add the buttermilk.   Mix together.  Don't over-knead it.  It shouldn't be smooth.  The key is to mix it quickly because you want the buttermilk and baking soda still reacting when the loaf goes in the oven.  Flatten on a cookie sheet and shape into a circle about 6-8 in. across.  Cut an x on the loaf with a knife, going halfway through.  Cook in the oven for 45 min. at 400 degrees.  If you want you can do the first 10 min. at 450 and then turn it down.

If you want to view videos on how to do it, here are the links I used.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAPzyodY4_g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3WW6bEKm-Y&feature=related